Marketing, Media and Message
In the last year I have written several hundred posts about marketing, with a real emphasis on strategy. Why? Because I believe effective marketing is not just a slick campaign, but a well thought out strategy which brings together the 3M’s
- Market
- Message
- Media
For marketing to be effective these three elements must be in alignment.
Market: No matter how big you are, you can not afford try to sell to everyone. And even if you did have a large enough budget, the reality is some people are more likely then others to buy your product. So begin by focusing on a segment of the market. Select a profitable niche, and exceed their expectations.
Message: Now that you have identified your customer, what do you say to get their attention? Think about what is important to your customer, what keeps them up at night. Craft a message which addresses their concerns, not what you want to sell. I once had a finanial planner tell me what his customer wanted choices. I had a hard time imaging many consumers laying awake at night worrying about not having enough choices. … This was an important element to him, but not his clients. What keeps them awake? Worries about retirement and college tuition! My advice to him, stop talking about choices till you have their attention!
Media: In marketing, it is not just what you say, but where you say it. Ask yourself, where are your customers going for information? Select your media, based on the ability to reach a large concentration of your target. To do this, you have to really understand your target.
So what about your marketing? Do you have your 3M’s in alignment?
Need some help lining up your 3M’s? Join Matt Nettleton of Sandler Training Trustpointe and me for a conversation about how to transform Random Strangers to Raving Fans.
March 25, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Sandler Training Trustpointe Offices, 6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis
Fee: $29.99 Seating is limited, so be sure to register soon. Click here
From Random Strangers to Raving Fans workshop
I’m excited to be team-teaching a course with my sales coach, Matt Nettleton of Sandler Training Trustpointe. The class is called “From Random Strangers to Raving Fans: Using a system to create the right messages for the right people at the right time.”
We’re going to talk about how important it is that your sales and marketing support each other. After all, the best marketing plan in the world won’t help you if you can’t seal the deal, and the best sales strategy won’t help you if you don’t have leads in the first place!
Check out the details below. Hope to see you there!
March 25, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Sandler Training Trustpointe Offices, 6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis
Fee: $29.99 Seating is limited, so be sure to register soon. Click here
Marketing Drip Campaigns
Around the world, large canyons exist because of the steady drip of water. The small, but constant impact wears down the rocks, eroding the surface, and cutting a path where there wasn’t one.
The same process works in customer interactions. It is easy for a prospect to miss or ignore one message, a consistent, small campaign, of email, print, or some combination of both, can wear down objections and open up a door to a sales opportunity.
At roundpeg, I have been experimenting with targeted drip campaigns or marketing sequences. This is a process in which I identify a small audience with a common interest, send them a series of messages over time on a specific topic. We have been really pleased with the results of our first camp How to Write a Business Plan in Ten Weeks. As a result we have added programs on Web Design, PR and have several more in the works.
I spoke recently with Barb Jones of Stellar Infusionsoft Coaching about our experiments with Marketing Drip Campaigns or Sequences as she calls them. It was fun to be the interviewee not interviewer for a change!
If you are still sending mass emails to thousands of people, you are probably being ignored by most of them. Now is a good time to consider an alternative, more focused approach. There are a number of tools which will help you create campaigns like this.
For small business owners, we recommend AddressTwo. It is what we use, and have found the ability to do both email and print campaigns from the same data base a real plus. And in the interest of full disclosure, we are a partner provider for AddressTwo, so we can help you get started.
“For larger firms, with more robust requirements, Infusionsoft offers many terrific features including extensive customization, templates for both emails and sequences, and trackable links that allow you to adjust to every choice your prospect/client makes or doesn’t make.”
This decade is about personalization, so consider using a drip campaign to personalize your email.
Marketing Budgets
Don’t wait till the end of the year, to figure out what you spent on marketing. Take a proactive approach!! Not sure how to get started? Listen to this interview with Howard Cox as he shares some insight into how to buidl an ROI based Marketing Budget. Click here to listen to the interview.
And if you want the worksheet he refers to, simply fill out the form below
If you hold an event and no one comes, is it still an event?
Small business owners often consider running a special event as a way of introducing their business to prospective clients. They hope the event will generate PR and create BUZZ. Our new intern Allison Carter shares some thoughts on how to structure the event to attract the attention of both the media and the community.
By Allison Carter:
Holding an event is a great way to raise your profile in your community. It gets your name out there, and lets you meet face-to-face with potential customers and share your expertise. But even the best event in the world won’t help you if no one attends! So here are a few questions to ask yourself when planning your event:
- Who am I trying to attract? Am I trying to gain new customers from the community at large, strengthen my relationships with existing customers, to network with other businesses?
- Is my event interesting or important? Is it relevant to the people that I want to come to my event, and geared to their level of knowledge?
- Am I going to charge for the event? If so, is this something that people would actually pay for?
- What is the best way to communicate with my audience? Do they read the newspaper? Do they Tweet? Do I have an email database of potentially interested people? Meet your audience where they feel most comfortable.
If you answer these questions honestly, know your audience, and truly have something interesting and unique to share with the community, you’ll find people lined up out the door for your event.
Everyone is Not My Customer!
Everyone is not my customer. While I know that intellectually, sometimes it is hard to embrace that fact emotionally, especially in a tough economy. But the truth is, if I want to use my time well and do the right thing for my clients, sometimes the best thing to do is to turn the project over to a competitor.
This quote is from a post by Seth Godin on this topic. He argued that passing a project to someone else better prepared to handle it will actually raise your image with that client. He said:
This is when you earn the right to be seen as a trusted advisor, not a self-interested shill. Two months or two years from now, when you interact with that person or organization again, he’ll remember that you were the one who spoke up on behalf of the competition, the one who helped us find a better fit, the clearly disinterested advisor who helped us choose between the two remaining good choices.
I know he is right. So to help me make good recommendations I spend time getting to know my competitors. I know areas in which each one excels, so I can pick the best candidate for my client.
Roundpeg is going to be around for a long time. If we miss one sale, but in doing so, establish our position as trusted advisors it will be worth it in the long run.
Raising the Bar on Customer Service
What do you do to keep customers coming back? According to Seth Godin, what was once conidered incredible, is now run of the mill. The challenge to small business owners in a comptitive market is finding new ways to surprise and delight your customers.
Nick Carter of AddressTwo does that on a regular basis. Continually working on new features for the software, Nick has added a WishList feature to the user screen. Now, any user can suggest improvements, and vote on the suggestions of others. New features with the most votes, get attention first. Nick is truly creating customer focused software.
My favorite eye doctor, Dr. Jeremy Ciano at Revolution-Eyes always has fresh coffee and Godiva Chocolate while you wait. Makes stopping by lots of fun.
What do you do that is exceptional or surprising? If you can’t think of anything, it is time to work on your unique selling proposition. Remember customers have choices, and they rarely choose on just price.
Free Introduction to Business Planning
Would you set out on a long trip, without a map? Of course not. The same is true for your business. You need a Business Map, and that map is your business plan.
It doesn’t have to formal, or very long, but it does need to answer some basic questions about where you are and where you are going
Not sure how to get started? Join me for a FREE overview of business planning – How to Avoid the Ten Planning Mistakes Business Owners Make.
In this lively ninety minute workshop, participants will learn the elements of a good business plan, as well as tips and strategies on how to get started, and make planning an integral part of your business operation.
The next sessions are Wednesday, March 10 , April 14, and May 12 at 8:30 at the offices of Trustpointe – 6666 E. 75th Street, Suite 150, Indianapolis, IN 46250.
There is no fee to attend, but reservations are required. You can register by filling out the form below.
And as an added bonus when you register, you are enrolled in the free eCoulrse: How to Write a Business Plan in 10 Weeks
To take advantage of one or both of the FREE offers simply fill out the form below.
Thinking About Trade Show Season? Think Smart!
Are you considering participating in a trade show, home show or business showcase this year? If so, here are a few tips which will help you make the most of your investment!
Start with Measurable Objectives
Before you reserve your space, and write the check be sure you know what you want to accomplish. Have specific objectives in mind, and measure the results! For example:
- Number of people who came to booth
- Number of leads
- Sales within a specific period of time after the event
- Investment per lead
Pick the Right Show and the Right Location at the show
As you compare trade show opportunities consider ask organizers about total attendance, attendee demographics and exhibitor turnover.
If it is the right show, be sure to carefully select your space. Avoid columns, stairs, obstacles or locations too close to the food station. If you have strategic partners, who typically refer business to you, consider getting booth spaces side by side to it is easy to pass prospects back and forth.
Cut through the Clutter
As you design you booth – think simple! Your graphics should be large and eye catching. Like a billboard, people passing by should be able to grasp the key message, even if they don’t stop. Want to give more detail? Put it in a handout.
Use Social Media
Let people know you are at the show! Use Facebook fan pages and Twitter updates to help clients, prospects and friends find you. Make special limited offers during the show which you broadcast on twitter. Be sure to ask event organizers if they have created a hashtag (#) for the event.
After the Show!
This is the most important part of your trade show planning. Before you walk out the door to attend the show, be sure you have a plan in place to follow up when you come home!
Have your follow-up packets ready before the show. Then all you have to do afterward is paste a label and postage and get them in the mail. While your competitors are still trying to figure out what to send, your prospects are already reviewing your information!
Need help with your trade show strategy or booth design? Contact Roundpeg today!
No Experience? No Problem!
I am putting the finishing touches on a brochure design project for a ballroom dance company.With several locations around Indianapolis. Five Star Dance Studios is a part of a ballroom dance industry that has more than 35 years of experience.
This brochure design was interesting because we decided to do something a little different then a traditional tri-fold. Using a 8.5×14 double gate fold brochure, I had a larger canvas on which to design.
We had room to spread out the copy and use a dramatic image for the center of the brochure with only the company’s tag line: No Experience, No Problem in the center.
Finding the right pictures for the brochure was tricky, because their clients range from young children to seniors.
After hours of looking through stock photography libraries, including istockphoto.com, and using Photoshop to crop the angles just right, we found a series which worked well together.
We were also able to use a few images, including the one on the cover, of real students at Five Star Dance. The result?
The pictures are what make the brochure, because you see the movement and excitement of the people.
I can’t wait to see see the final version printed!
