Category listing: November, 2008
To read the previous post(s) in this series, start here:
Step 1: Narrow Your Market Focus
Step 2: Communicate Your Difference
Step 3: Packaging Your Product
Step 4: Create Marketing Materials that Educate
Step 5:Advertising, Referrals and PR: Your Lead Generation Trio!
We’re coming to the end of this series on “7 Steps to Marketing Success” – powered by the proven principles of Duct Tape Marketing. As the economy wears on and I hear more stories of hardship in people’s lives and businesses, I am convinced that these principles work. And if by chance, you’re CONSIDERING starting a business of your own, why not do it NOW! Your mind will tell you that you should wait for “better economic times” – but when will that be? Do it now and you’ll be glad to have a say-so in your future! As a small business owner and one who started in n0t-so-great economic times, I am loving the independence and getting to do it with my brother, Donny! Sure, there’s uncertainty, but it’s alot of fun, too! Click here if you want to access a great resource from Jonathan Fields – it will change the way you work and live for the rest of your life!
OK – check your website now. Would you consider your website more “informative” or “interactive“? The former uses your website to tell everything about you and your store/product/service. When people come, they have no doubt what you have to offer. They peruse and they leave. On the other hand, what about having a site that your visitors interact with? The key that successful sites have discovered is to convert your site’s visitor to a hot prospect by capturing their email address!
Sites that do not collect this vital link back to their prospects are losing the opportunity for follow-up. Perhaps someone visits your site because they saw a direct link somewhere. But, when they arrive, perhaps they are not in the purchasing mindset. If they leave, you have no way of reaching them again. But if you draw them into your database, then they have given you permission to send them new updates, information on new products/services, and, voila!, one day when they’re ready, they’ll buy.
Email marketing systems are affordable and pretty easy to manage on your own. Just put up a sign-up form on your website to collect email addresses. Most people offer something of value in exchange (recognizing this email address is valuable to you) – perhaps a free report, free e-book, coupons, free sample, something fun or informative, etc… So create something that your visitors would find interesting and valuable and make it available to them. Email marketing must be permission based to be effective – no one like spammers. In this way, your website is working for you 24/7 – this is especially important if you have a storefront where you have limited store hours. People surf the net at all hours, and alot of your prospects are likely doing it in the evening after their kids are in bed!
Sign up for our FREE MARKETING REPORT just to the right of this post! Here’s a longer post concerning the power of email marketing – you’ll also find out who we use to handle our email marketing campaigns!
NEXT UP – Step 7 – Live by a calendar – manage your brand!
- Randy Vaughn – Fort Worth’s Only DUCT TAPE MARKETING Authorized Coach
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In order now:
Step 1: Narrow Your Market Focus
Step 2: Communicate Your Difference
Step 3: Packaging Your Product
Step 4: Create Marketing Materials that Educate
Step 5: Advertising, Referrals and PR: Your Lead Generation Trio!
Step 6: Website that works 24/7 – Email Marketing
To read the previous post(s) in this series, start here:
Step 1: Narrow Your Market Focus
Step 2: Communicate Your Difference
Step 3: Packaging Your Product
Step 4: Create Marketing Materials that Educate
Getting back to our series, we’re at Step5. In order to have a strong marketing foundation, you need to make place for the mighty trio sure to generate leads:
ADVERTISING – REFERRALS – PUBLIC RELATIONS
From John Jantch’s great article on this, where he introduces the 3 C’s – cost, credibility, and control:
- Advertising – potential high cost, often lower credibility, high, in fact ultimate, control – turn the ad on and off when you choose – control is the best part about advertising, you can launch a promotion on the day you want or need more leads and then turn it back down when you don’t
- Public Relations – cost can be low, credibility is high – often a tiny mention in a publication can bring more leads than a full page ad in the same publication – readers love the third party endorsement, control can be low – you can’t really dictate when and if you will get any pub
- Referrals – again, cost can be very low, credibility a little dependent on the source of referral but often high, control also out of your hands and based on your ability to educate sources properly.
In terms of advertising and promotion, there is a place for both traditional offline efforts as well as the contemporary online presence. Depending on your type of business, your mix may vary in percentages to how much effort you spend in traditional offline vs. online. I will challenge you to consider an online presence, even if your first thought is “oh, in our industry, we’re still old school.” If your customers are online looking for your solution, and they don’t find you, then you’ve lost the game. If you wish to understand how to get online, enroll for our 4-session marketing course for only $99! We originally were going to start it this month, but because of schedules and upcoming holidays, we decided to launch it the first week in January. To get online in ’09, go here!
Public relations encompasses alot of things. You need to think strategically about how you want your customers to perceive you – what do you want them to know about you. It’s got to be authentic. Don’t make a big show about being green, but when people really dig around on you, your trash in in the back is full of paper that could have been recycled. Authenticity is critical. Employee creative promotions that highlight, authentically, what you are about, your values, your personality. Use online news releases to make news of anything and everything! David Meerman Scott’s an excellent resource for understanding the “new rules of marketing and pr” – click here to download.
When thinking of referrals, think about two groups. First, there are loyal customers who want to refer you. Make it easy for them to do so, instructing them even in how you want them to do it. Consider, too, if you need to reward them for doing so (cash, discounts, unique access to special products and services). Secondly, think about strategic partners who you can devise a system of give-n-take. A plumber may want to work up a relationship with other contractors who can become your strongest advocate when they are in the homes of their clients. An automotive repair shop may wish to cultivate a strong relationship with a local tire dealer. When people come to the tire store and needing unique car repair that the tire shop is not equipped to handle, the first thing a customer of theirs is likely to ask is, “do you know any good mechanic?” In return, when someone at a repair shop needs tires (providing you don’t provide them yourself), consistently refer your customers to this tire shop.
NEXT UP – Step 6 – Automate and Dominate: making your website and email marketing work for you 24/7!
- Randy Vaughn – Fort Worth’s Only DUCT TAPE MARKETING Authorized Coach
.
In order now:
Step 1: Narrow Your Market Focus
Step 2: Communicate Your Difference
Step 3: Packaging Your Product
Step 4: Create Marketing Materials that Educate
Step 5: Advertising, Referrals and Public Relations: Your Lead Generation Trio!
MICROSOFT OFFICE LIVE has asked John Jantsch, creator and founder of Duct Tape Marketing, to author an e-book on how to use social media for your business. You can download it for FREE here!
If you need to get online in ’09, you’ll want to enroll for a 4-session marketing coaching series on social media – learn how to more effectively connect with your customers and prospects (who are already online wondering where you are!)
* Would you like an early enrollment discount?
