| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Marketing to a Critical Mass
In "Developing a Marketing Plan", we covered the first steps to developing a marketing plan and tracking where your customers are coming from. The thing that I noticed when I did this for my own business was that the majority of new clients could be attributed to more than one source. For example, a current customer gave them my name (#2 in the trust diagram), the person then visited my website (#5), viewed my portfolio (#4), and then made the decision to contact me. This ties in to the rule of thumb that it takes seven contacts with a potential customer before they will make the decision to purchase. Now when I sold real estate, this usually was used by sales trainers in the context of, "Make seven cold calls and eventually they will list with you." I don't know about you, but for me cold calling just takes all the fun out of what I'm doing. Who wants to get business that way? Going back to the client trust diagram, that is the least effective way to get business. A more accurate way to describe it would be that it takes an average of seven exposures before someone makes a decision to purchase, with some types of exposures having more weight than others. When planning your marketing campaign, evaluate your forms of promotion by which functions they perform:
Awareness: Newspaper ads, flyers, directory listings, etc, are all forms of advertising that can create awareness of your product or service. Credibility: Referrals from current clients, endorsements, articles, and columns can build credibility, anything that gives a sense of who you are, what your business does, and that you are good at what you do. Call to Action: Give people a reason to call you. Obviously some forms of marketing will fall into more than one category. If a new customer is referred to you, that is creating awareness and establishing credibility. A newspaper ad will create awareness and can provide a call to action. However, unless the ad is large enough to include testimonials, it's probably not going to be building credibility. One type of marketing is not going to be the end- all- to-be-all solution for your business. The key is to determine which types of marketing will be effective for your business, what types of functions they perform, and integrate them into a cohesive marketing message that will build to a critical mass. If a potential customer has one exposure to your business, you want it to lead to a second, third, and fourth, until they make that purchase decision. Look at each promotional piece that you put out and check to see if it ties in to another. In addition to your contact information, your business cards should have your web site address to give another avenue for someone to learn about your business. A newspaper ad should have a call to action as well as your contact information and web site address. One of the easiest ways to increase the number of exposures to each potential customer is by making sure that everything that has your business name on it also has your web site address. A web site can be used to establish credibility through information about your company, products or services, and testimonials. It can create awareness and provide a call to action. Copyright 2005 - Carla Alvarez, Legacy Marketing Services Carla Alvarez is owner of Legacy Marketing Services which provides integrated marketing services for businesses including business identity, web and CSS development, and business development seminars.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 1 In the following 'special report,' I will reveal some very powerful marketing strategies and psychological motivators that can easily help you make more profits from your business, no matter what business you're in.Be sure to read it thoroughly, and take notes as needed so that you can take maximum advantage of the information being covered. Marketing on a Budget A successful marketing plan doesn't have to include an athletic superstar, prime-time placement, state-of-the-art computer graphics or a massive budget. Being resourceful and smart can be just as effective. Give It Away Now - The More You Share, the More You Sell! Give away your knowledge, and you'll make money. How does this work? Isn't this counter-intuitive? Let's think about this. An Example of Understanding Consumer Thinking A church in my community provided me with one of the best examples of understanding the consumer, which I've ever experienced.Once a month a church in my community provides free lunch, open to the public. Whats In a Business Card? Over the years as I have attended trade shows, networking meetings, chamber events and more; I have noticed a few things about the successful and the not so successful. First of all, do you have a business card? If you belong to a large corporation, you were probably issued business cards as a matter of course, almost as if it was a company perk. Knowing When To Charge More and To Charge Less More And MoreIt was notable that when I started my business twenty years ago, I came up with a certain "minimum" profit I wanted to make. Within a very short time I didn't feel that profit was enough and I gingerly started to charge more. Costly Web Copy Pitfalls One secret to a site that sells: Look at your site from your customer's perspective. Another secret: Watch out for these common web copy pitfalls. Direct Mail Sales Letter Mistakes to Avoid Some companies that use direct mail to sell their products and services are like the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn't there. They repeat the same mistakes, and enjoy the same poor results. Reinventing The Wheel Revolutionary ideas have always been the mark of mankind. It's what made us superior to animals and prove that we are the dominant species of this planet. Chill Out With A Summer Time Marketing Plan Is your business experiencing a summer time slump? Traditionally only industries related to travel enjoy a boost in business during the warmer months. The rest of us tend to take vacations, clean up our desk and while away the time playing computer games while we wait for business to pick up. Design Direct Mail Postcards Back-to-Front to Boost Response Rates Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail postcard is for the picture and the back is for the address, stamp and a short message.But some savvy direct marketers design their postcards the other way around-and boost response rates as a result. The M-Word It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people have about what it means to market professional services, as well as the anxiety the "m-word" (marketing) conjures up. It reminded me that, just because professional service providers have a lot of expertise in their chosen field, it doesn't mean they have the same level of understanding about the business of growing a practice. Free Sample Sales Letter: Example of How to Write a Persuasive Business Marketing Letter Here is an example of a business-to-business sales letter mailed to auto dealers by a firm that markets gift cards that replace paper gift certificates. Anything in brackets [like this] did not appear in the letter but simply appears to describe the mechanics of the letterAuthor: Alan Sharpe Target audience: General managers of auto dealerships Mailer: Sharpe AutoCards [a fictional company for the purposes of this sample letter] Purpose: Generate appointments for salespeople[MAILING ENVELOPE] [Is 5 x 9 inches in dimension and has a window, through which appears a portion of a gift card, personalized with the prospect's name. Communicating Our Attitude The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting relationships with your prospects by marketing your business with passion. When you're not excited about what you're doing, no one else will be either. Michael Jackson, Classic Marketing Blunders And Your Wallet! You couldn't help but be captivated by the unbelievably cute kid with the amazingly controlled falsetto voice and electric dance moves. He was only 10 years old, when he exploded onto the music scene, along with his brothers as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, but he had the stage presence of a twenty year veteran. Secret of Strategy - Part 1 A step-by-step guide to creating a growth strategy based on your current situation and future possibilities. I'll bet you think you already have a strategy. Marketing: Are You Focused? In early 1992, President George H.W. Promotional Bags: Your Company Details on Parade The trick to a good promotion is to attach your company details to something useful. Now, there is "private useful" like the promotional toothbrush you use in the privacy of your own bathroom, and there is "public useful" that you use out there where everyone sees you inadvertently parading the promotion. How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 4 Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":4. Engaging the "Senses" You may already know that people usually buy for 'emotional' reasons more than 'intellectual' reasons. The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart You want your prospect to make the decision to buy your product or service. So you show him what you have to offer in your sales letter, web page, ad or commercial.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
