| Home » Marketing Articles |
| |
Marketing Articles |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Use a Guarantee In Your Headline To Increase Trust |
| Sometimes you can use a guarantee effectively in your headline. Doing so often creates increased trust in the reader. After all, if you guarantee it, you must believe in whatever it is you are guaranteeing.
Remember Domino Pizza's unique selling proposition (USP), which was also used as a headline? 'Fresh Hot Pizza, Delivered To Your Door In 30 Minutes Or Less - Guaranteed!'
That headline worked great for Domino's, could a similar headline work for you? Think about your product or service. Do More.. |
| Read more About Use a Guarantee In Your Headline To Increase Trust |
|
| |
| PowerPositioning: WillYouAcceptThisRose.com |
| Positioning is a powerful concept in marketing. To illustrate, have you ever visited a fast food restaurant, and, in a rush to complete your order asked for a coke when you "perhaps" meant to order some other soft drink? The Coke brand and its owners have achieved a top of mind awareness. Their brand name has become synonymous with a commodity that has a strong demand. A lot the brand's success may be attributed to being the first successful soft drink on the mass market, other possibilities may More.. |
| Read more About PowerPositioning: WillYouAcceptThisRose.com |
|
| |
| What Our CAT Taught Me About Marketing! |
| Toby is one of our two family pets (both cats). He is quite astute, and he has learned one of the most basic tenets of selling - stick with what works!
Many of Toby's days are spent perched on the top of my monitor as I work here on my computer. As a matter of fact, he's here right now as I write this article. Toby is a very personable creature. He enjoys being in the company of humans, and he knows just what buttons to push to get us to do what HE wants us to do!
For example, two of his very More.. |
| Read more About What Our CAT Taught Me About Marketing! |
|
| |
| Marketing Person You Think You Arent |
| Have you thought about starting your own business? Have you started one and are having challenges with marketing, fear of failure, fear of success?I could go on and on. Has the question, Now what? ever entered your mind? If so, I would like to share my story with you. A journey, from corporate to business owner and everything in between.
After working in the corporate field for 25 years, an opportunity presented itself to start my own business, to work out of my home. I found a fulfilling profe More.. |
| Read more About Marketing Person You Think You Arent |
|
| |
| How to Use Your Newsletter to Research Your Market |
| A few decades ago, in the early days of automatic banking terminals, the management at Citibank made a somewhat reluctant decision to introduce automatic tellers.
They were anxious to cut costs, but they assumed that customers would rather deal with human tellers, had they the choice. Therefore, they compromised and reserved human tellers for people with more than $5,000 in their accounts. Depositors who weren't in such a fortunate position were relegated to the machines.
It soon became clear, More.. |
| Read more About How to Use Your Newsletter to Research Your Market |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Does Your Marketing Pass This 10-Point Test? |
| Good marketing, whatever form it takes, always meets certain criteria. That's what makes it good. The following 10-Point checklist will help you determine if your marketing passes the test. I challenge you to evaluate one of your recent ads, promotions or other marketing activities to see how it measures up.
1) Does it focus on the solution or benefit you provide?
Too often ads simply list product or service features. Don't make your prospects work that hard to figure out how your product or s More.. |
| Read more About Does Your Marketing Pass This 10-Point Test? |
|
| |
| 4 Easy Ways to Get Free Marketing Exposure |
| Are there really ways you can get valuable marketing exposure without spending any money? You bet there are. The trick to uncovering these methods is to think of creative ways you can get your products or services in front of, or in the hands of, your prospects. And that last part is critical. It is only valuable marketing if it is targeted at the people you have identified are most likely to buy your products or services.
Following are four ways I've used to create great results at little or n More.. |
| Read more About 4 Easy Ways to Get Free Marketing Exposure |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success? |
| What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well, you'd be surprised how many small business owners think they are effectively marketing their business, when in fact they are cutting their own throat.
Yes, they may be running ads that are pulling in leads or customers. And yes, they may be writing a regular column for their local newspaper so they are perceived as the expert in their industry. And yes, they may even be doing a pretty good job of marketing on a regular basis to their p More.. |
| Read more About Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success? |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Systems - Marketing Your Business Successfully |
| Business Systems that work for anyone, are a fundamental necessity for any networking venture. While most people rely upon their own company business system or plan for success, there is always a different option.
The three fundamental elements of any system are; Replication, Duplication and most of all Retention.
A newbie or seasoned veteran, should be able to replicate with a good system and duplicate the actions of those gone before him/her. When that is achieved, the retention becomes grea More.. |
| Read more About Systems - Marketing Your Business Successfully |
|
| |
| Did You Know Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem? |
| How To Save Yourself From The Pits of Marketing Cyber Hell!
"Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem!"
Did you know that the one major thing that stands between You and Success is Your Mind Set? Yes it is true. Sometimes our "Own Stinkin' Thinkin'" gets in the way of our Success, or our ability to achieve success. Try as we may, we just can't get any further ahead than we were yesterday. Frankly we have been so use to failure in our lives that failure is all we seem to attract. But it doesn't have to be More.. |
| Read more About Did You Know Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem? |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Have You Sold Your Internal Customers? |
| You can make the sale. You know your core message. You know your target market inside out, right?
But if you have even one employee than you've got another sales job to do. Everyone in your organization must also be sold on the dream you have. Everyone who answers the phone, walks the sales floor, attends that Chamber event, or follow-up on a sales lead in your company's name must be sold first.
Let's start to think of your employees and strategic partners as internal prospects. What have you More.. |
| Read more About Have You Sold Your Internal Customers? |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Five Cheap Tricks for Promoting Your Business |
| If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to promote your business - without spending a ton of money. Well, you're in luck. This article lists five of my top 10 favorite ideas for promoting your business or organization for next to nothing (and in some cases, completely fr*e). While these ideas are a start, there are plenty of other ways to get the word out about your product or service and build relationships with potential clients. Use this list as a jumping off point to brainstorm mor More.. |
| Read more About Five Cheap Tricks for Promoting Your Business |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Is Your Marketing Working... |
| That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many feel that it is I'm sure. But is it really!
Which scenario is better or best for your business, marketing and advertising everyday spending more than you marketing budget allows each month. Or marketing your business based on last years marketing cost for five months straight where after five months you market your business no more.
You will have no reason to, because your clients will be calling you at will. That's right I'm talking ab More.. |
| Read more About Is Your Marketing Working... |
|
| |
| Direct Mail Leads - Brand Identity Guru |
| Direct mail can be one of the most effective tactics to reach your target audience. Developing a strategy for direct mail is critical to obtaining the best ROI. If you just roll out any piece without a clear plan you are throwing your good marketing money away.
Here are some tips I recommend:
Get Direct Mail Sales Leads...
You can't go wrong with these Brand-Aid tips:
1) Less is more- Sell the sizzle not the steak.
2) A package works better than a self mailer- A well crafted package can out More.. |
| Read more About Direct Mail Leads - Brand Identity Guru |
|
| |
| Joint Venture Marketing: What and Why |
| What is a Joint Venture? A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time. Usually with a specific project or goal in mind. Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting a product together, or some can be short-term, like bartering or trading products and services. Ideas on how to joint venture ideas are boundless.
Why you want to start Joint Venture Marketing! Here are 51 reasons why you want to start joint venturing immediately if yo More.. |
| Read more About Joint Venture Marketing: What and Why |
|
| |
| How To Create A Complete Referral Marketing System |
| These steps are taken from the Referral Flood Marketing Program. Referral Flood is an insider's shortcut to referral marketing and features over 4 hours of audio training, 54 real-world referral marketing systems, and a host of referral marketing tools, letters, postcards and forms.
Step #1 - Create a referral target market(s) - you must create a target list of companies and individuals who can be motivated to refer. This can be clients or a network of related businesses.
Step #2 - Identify yo More.. |
| Read more About How To Create A Complete Referral Marketing System |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| The 5 Musts of Marketing |
| For most of the small business owners I work with, marketing has become the equivalent of a four-letter word. Inevitably, when I ask the question, "Do you have a marketing plan?" or "What marketing activities do you engage in?" I get the full gamut of responses from the proverbial deer in the headlights stare, to a vociferous, "I hate marketing, it's the least favorite part of my business!"
After years of witnessing this reaction, and learning a bit about modern marketing, I'm starting to under More.. |
| Read more About The 5 Musts of Marketing |
|
| |
| The Magic of Using Booklets for Tradeshow Giveaways |
| Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide questionable value to anyone visiting or staffing a tradeshow booth. More and more meeting and marketing professionals are considering something a little different - booklets. They are a way to attract higher quality prospects, reap a handsome return on the investment of time and money in attending shows, and help set a company apart from the crowd.
What is a booklet? The ultimate purpose of a booklet is to educate a target audience. I More.. |
| Read more About The Magic of Using Booklets for Tradeshow Giveaways |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Direct Marketing - Brand Identity Guru Tips |
| If your company doesn't have a direct marketing program in place, a direct marketing agency can create one for you. A direct marketing company provides small to very large customizable ranges of business-to-business and business-to-consumer direct marketing options sure to fit your needs. From database creation and maintenance to data analysis and creative program execution, a direct marketing company can take any existing direct marketing program, or a lack of one, and develop a highly efficien More.. |
| Read more About Direct Marketing - Brand Identity Guru Tips |
|
| |
| People Pleasing Postcards |
| Why are more businesses turning to full-color postcards as a key form of promotion? The biggest reason is the simplest: You don't have to open a postcard. It won't get lumped in with all the direct mail envelopes that people toss without opening.
If the postcard shows a very glossy, well-photographed picture of an attractive product, the recipient will very likely look at the picture and turn it over to see who sent it. She/he might well put it aside and think, "Next time I'm near the store, I' More.. |
| Read more About People Pleasing Postcards |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Effective List Management Can Save You Big |
| Let's talk about how to keep your postage costs down.
So far you have been following my advice and mailing to the same list more than once. At some point you find lists that will produce returns continually, but you notice that you are receiving more returns than when you started mailing to those lists.
You may see things like "Undeliverable as Addressed" or "Forwarding Order Expired." Every time you mail to an address and that prospect has moved or cannot be foundfor any reason, you have just More.. |
| Read more About Effective List Management Can Save You Big |
|
| |
| Good Marketing Pays for Itself |
| Most companies ask themselves this question: "How much will this advertising cost us?" when they should actually be asking themselves this: "How much will it cost not to do this advertising?"
If your company spends $1000 per week on marketing then you could save $1000 per week by not doing any marketing. That is true but it is the simple and shortsighted view of the situation. However, if the revenue generated from that marketing is $1010 you have actually just lost $10 by not doing it.
Most t More.. |
| Read more About Good Marketing Pays for Itself |
|
| |
| Increase New Customer Traffic to Your Business |
| One person tells another, who tells another, who tells another and so on. You get the idea. Let's see how to make that an actuality.
You have a great company and you provide the highest level of customer service. But as the old cliché says: "A happy customer tells a friend, an unhappy customer tells 10 friends." You don't have to worry about the unhappy customer telling 10 friends because you always do a great job and keep your customers happy. But how do you increase the number of friends t More.. |
| Read more About Increase New Customer Traffic to Your Business |
|
| |
| Make Your Mailing a Home Run, Not a Strike Out! |
| You can use great design and copy to get a better response.
When you send a mailing to your customers or prospective customers you are counting on making considerably more money in new business than you spend on the mailing, right? It is obvious that if you were not going to profit from the mailing, you wouldn't send it out.
A little less obvious is that it costs almost the same amount of money to send out a very attractive mailing piece with brilliant copy which is more likely to produce a gr More.. |
| Read more About Make Your Mailing a Home Run, Not a Strike Out! |
|
| |
| Marketing - Like a Game of Chess |
| Have you started thinking about your Valentines Day Promotion yet?
It may sound like a strange question on the day before Thanksgiving but it really isn't. When scheduling your promotions it is like a game of chess. You should always be thinking at least 3 moves ahead.
In this case each "move" should be one month. Therefore you should have been thinking about your Valentines, or February promotions as you fall asleep after your big Turkey dinner.
There are a few reasons why you need to have y More.. |
| Read more About Marketing - Like a Game of Chess |
|
| |
| Marry Your Marketing Plan |
| Make a vow to keep up your marketing schedule in good times and not so good times.
I have said it time and time again that marketing, no matter what type you choose, is a building process. Here is the whole thing summed up in one situation:
Assume for a moment that you had never heard of this thing called "Cola". You go to your mailbox and get your mail only to find a postcard that says "New Fizzy Drink! You'll Love It! A Taste Like Nothing You Have Had Before!" You might run right out and try More.. |
| Read more About Marry Your Marketing Plan |
|
| |
| Raise Your Income! |
| How often do you sit around and wonder how to make more money and get more people to buy more from your company? It's one of the most basic problems every company faces.
The answer is astonishingly simple. Too simple maybe. But I've seen it work over and over again with our customers in every line of business you can imagine.
You have to promote. Your income is governed by the size of your customer base and how often and effectively you communicate with those customers.
So raising your income More.. |
| Read more About Raise Your Income! |
|
| |
| Rising Postal Rates? Don?t Cut Down the Direct Mail |
| The United States Post Office in the past had some trouble with its finances and their solution was to raise the postal rates. Whether or not you agree with this approach to trying to stay in business, like the weather and government in general, it's something you have to live with.
Many companies have used this as a reason to send out fewer or smaller mailings in an attempt to keep their costs down. Here's a quote from an issue of Direct Marketing News:
"Despite a string of healthy annual inc More.. |
| Read more About Rising Postal Rates? Don?t Cut Down the Direct Mail |
|
| |
| Specialized Mailing Lists Make All the Difference |
| If there is one thing I can't say enough it is that the most important part of your mailing campaign is your mailing list. It is vital that you put the right amount of energy into learning about lists - who to mail to - so that your mailing efforts aren't wasted. There are a few different ways that you can get an adequately targeted list.
As always the first step is to determine who your target market will be. Should you market to consumers or businesses? For this example consider that your pro More.. |
| Read more About Specialized Mailing Lists Make All the Difference |
|
| |
| The Importance of a Marketing Plan |
| There aren't many things in life that you would get into with out a plan. Marketing is no different. Your overall marketing plan should cover about a six month period, and should be made up of weekly and monthly marketing schedules.
This is how you do it:
1. Figure out how much money is in your budget.
As we all know, marketing of any kind costs money. How much money you are willing to commit to the cause is going to determine some key factors about how that money can be best spent. Remember, More.. |
| Read more About The Importance of a Marketing Plan |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Networking, iNetworking, What Is The First Rule? |
| Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in person, or is it? Let's take a conversational tour together on this topic.
At an in-person networking event you wouldn't just attend not to network. Or would you? Normally everyone is there for a purpose, even if they haven't totally defined that purpose, they have a vague idea why they are there. Wouldn't that work the same for iNetworking? Yep.
Yet...
Weekly I receive emails and phone calls how someone wants to connect with me in some More.. |
| Read more About Networking, iNetworking, What Is The First Rule? |
|
| |
| Ten Easy Marketing Tasks You Can Do NOW |
| Who says scientists can't market? Here are 10 easy marketing ideas that a group of folks at the National Institute of Standards and Technology came up with today during our monthly Marketing Action Group:
1. Listen to (and write down!) the questions your clients ask. They're clues to the problems you can help them solve. They're also topics for your next article, talk and e-newsletter. Don't invent this stuff - just listen!
2. Plan and write out your next sales conversation. Got a meeting next More.. |
| Read more About Ten Easy Marketing Tasks You Can Do NOW |
|
| |
| Marketing With Business Cards |
| Many businesses today overlook the importance of business cards as a very powerful marketing weapon. Their business cards contain just a name, company, address and phone number. But smart and savvy marketers know that an effective business card should also contain the company theme and it's prime benefits.
Business cards are fabulous marketing tools, so make them stand out. For example you could have embossing, full-color, or artwork on your business card. You could also have a fold-over busine More.. |
| Read more About Marketing With Business Cards |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
